Multi-cylinder internal combustion engines are known in which cylinder deactivations occur when operating under partial load. In 6-cylinder internal combustion engines, three of six cylinders are shut down. These deactivated cylinders are filled with fresh air, this gas filling being approximately completed, and during a four-stroke cycle of an active cylinder a deactivated cylinder is compressed and expanded twice in “dummy mode.” The second dummy expansion, offset by 360° from the first dummy expansion, takes place at an angle of rotation of the crankshaft of the drivetrain of the internal combustion engine at which an active cylinder is also in the power stroke. Because of this operation, not only is the power stroke of a deactivated cylinder lacking in comparison to an actively working cylinder, but in addition an excitation of a still active cylinder is amplified by the second dummy expansion of the deactivated cylinder, since these actions occur simultaneously (FIG. 5). This results in amplified excitation amplitudes of the 1.5th order of a crankshaft rotation speed, which cannot be absorbed without a cost.